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While we admire the pursuit of happiness by various governments of which the Bhutanese is an example, we must also not fail to take into cognizance the various elements of state that should be put in place for happiness to be guaranteed. Last year, amidst the non-payment of workers salaries and pension funds to pensioners, a state governor in Nigeria appointed his sister as the commissioner in a newly created Ministry of happiness and purpose fulfillment. There was a subsequent backlash from the people in the state. It is fine for governments to think and work on making the people happy through policies that are congruent with the standard set by the United Nations, however, the bigger work is to sustain the source of happiness and to renew it for satisfaction which is the goal of happiness.

The interesting thought for me is how societies could change political systems if they focus on happiness as a core goal of the society. How would the make-up and practices of elected officials change if people placed a greater emphasis on having their needs for happiness met? Might people realize that there is much more in common with each other than we think, and might that push us towards demanding more civil standards among politicians?